The press communiqué of NOAA invites the interested public to comment within 45 days on NOAA Fisheries’ proposal to list four subspecies of ringed seals and two distinct population segments of bearded seals as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The proposed listings include four subspecies of ringed seals found in the Arctic Ocean, Bering, Okhotsk, and Baltic seas, and Lake Ladoga (Russia); and two distinct population segments of bearded seals found in the Beaufort, Chukchi, East Siberian, and Okhotsk seas.
The press release also states that NOAA Fisheries first published the proposed listings in the Federal Register on December 10, 2010, with a 60-day public comment period ending on February 8, 2011. In response to requests received, NOAA Fisheries has decided to extend the currently open comment period until March 25, 2011. The additional 45 days should allow sufficient time for responders to comment without significantly delaying the rulemaking process.
